Interrogating the Numbers: A Statistical Analysis of Growth, Equity, and Missed Signals

• In Event: The State of Black Student Literacy Growth and Proficiency in Michigan: A Comprehensive Data Analysis

Abstract

This presentation aims to reframe how benchmark assessment data—specifically Conditional Growth Percentiles (CGP), Conditional Growth Index (CGI), and RIT scores—are understood and interpreted in the context of early literacy equity. The objective is to expose how reliance on these statistical metrics often obscures the racial inequities they intend to measure. Through a critical statistical lens, the presenter investigates how data on Black students’ reading growth is collected, misinterpreted, and underutilized, and how that perpetuates instructional inequities under the guise of data-driven decision-making.

Author

• Tera Shamey, Archetype Consulting